Liquid crystal display and panel thereof

ABSTRACT

A liquid crystal panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, and a pixel electrode arranged on the substrate. The pixel electrode includes a first subpixel electrode and a second subpixel electrode separated from each other, and the second subpixel electrode includes a first electrode part disposed above the first subpixel electrode and a second electrode part disposed below the first subpixel electrode and connected to the first electrode part. At least one first notch is arranged on at least one edge of the first subpixel electrode or the second subpixel electrode.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2008-0072385, filed on Jul. 24, 2008, which is herebyincorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a displaypanel thereof.

2. Discussion of the Background

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is one of the most widely used flat paneldisplays, and includes a pair of panels provided with field-generatingelectrodes, such as pixel electrodes and a common electrode, and aliquid crystal (LC) layer interposed between the two panels. The LCDdisplays images by applying voltages to the field-generating electrodes,which generate an electric field in the LC layer that determines theorientations of LC molecules therein to adjust polarization of incidentlight.

Among LCDs, a vertical alignment (VA) mode LCD, which aligns LCmolecules such that the long axes of the LC molecules are perpendicularto the panels in the absence of an electric field, is of interestbecause of its high contrast ratio and wide reference viewing angle.

In the VA mode LCD, a wide viewing angle may be obtained by forming aplurality of domains having different alignment directions of the liquidcrystal in one pixel.

The plurality of domains in one pixel can be realized by forming cutoutsin the field-generating electrodes. In this method, a plurality ofdomains may be formed by aligning the LC molecules vertically withrespect to the fringe field generated between the edges of the cutoutand the field generating electrodes facing the edges.

However, the aperture ratio is decreased in this structure. Also, whilethe LC molecules disposed near the cutouts are easily aligned verticallywith respect to the fringe field, the LC molecules disposed in thecentral portions of the domains far from the cutouts are affected by arandom motion such that the response speed becomes slow and a domain ofthe opposite direction is formed such that an instant afterimage mayappear.

As another means for forming the plurality of domains in one pixel,there is a light alignment method in which the alignment direction ofthe LC molecules and the alignment angle are controlled by irradiatinglight on the alignment layer. In the light alignment method, it is notnecessary to form cutouts in the field generating electrode, so theaperture ratio may be increased and the response time of the LCmolecules may be improved by a pretilt angle generated under the lightalignment.

On the other hand, a VA mode LCD may have lower side visibility thanfront visibility, so one pixel is divided into two subpixels anddifferent voltages are applied to the subpixels to solve this problem.

However, when the light alignment method is applied to the structurehaving two divided subpixels, the alignment direction determined by thelight alignment may be different from the alignment direction of the LCmolecules determined by the fringe field generated at a gap between thetwo subpixels of the LCD such that texture may be generated. The texturedecreases transmittance and may appear as a stain such that the displaycharacteristics of the LCD may be deteriorated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display and a displaypanel thereof.

Additional features of the invention will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The present invention discloses a liquid crystal panel that includes asubstrate and a pixel electrode disposed on the substrate. The pixelelectrode includes a first subpixel electrode and a second subpixelelectrode, wherein the second subpixel electrode includes a firstelectrode part disposed above the first subpixel electrode, and a secondelectrode part disposed below the first subpixel electrode and connectedto the first subpixel electrode. At least one first notch is arranged onat least one edge of the first subpixel electrode or the second subpixelelectrode.

The present invention also discloses a liquid crystal display thatincludes a first substrate, a pixel electrode disposed on the firstsubstrate. The pixel electrode includes a first subpixel electrode and asecond subpixel electrode separated from each other, a second substratefacing the first substrate, a common electrode arranged on the secondsubstrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pixelelectrode and the common electrode, wherein the second subpixelelectrode includes a first electrode part disposed on the first subpixelelectrode, a second electrode part disposed under the first subpixelelectrode and connected to the first subpixel electrode, and a pluralityof connection pieces connecting the first electrode part and the secondelectrode part on right and left sides of the first subpixel electrode,and wherein first notches are arranged near a center of an upper edgeand a lower edge of the first subpixel electrode, and near a center of aleft edge and a right edge of the second subpixel electrode.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and areintended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one pixel of the liquidcrystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a layout view of a pixel electrode in a liquid crystal displayaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display includingthe pixel electrode shown in FIG. 2, taken along line III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are layout views of a pixel electrodeaccording to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a layout view of a liquid crystal display according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a layout view of a pixel electrode of the liquid crystaldisplay shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a layout view of a storage electrode line of the liquidcrystal display shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a layout view showing an alignment direction of liquidcrystal molecules over the pixel electrode in the liquid crystal displayof FIG. 7.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display shown inFIG. 7 taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is described more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown.This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure isthorough, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes oflayers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Like referencenumerals in the drawings denote like elements.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to asbeing “on” or “connected to” another element or layer, it can bedirectly on or directly connected to the other element or layer, orintervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when anelement is referred to as being “directly on” or “directly connected to”another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layerspresent.

First, a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1, FIG.2, and FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one pixel of the liquidcrystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, FIG. 2 is a layout view of a pixel electrode in a liquidcrystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystaldisplay including the pixel electrode shown in FIG. 2 and taken alongline III-III of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6 are layout viewsof a pixel electrode according to another exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of signal lines121, 131, 171 a, and 171 b, and pixels PX connected thereto. Referringto FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display according to thepresent exemplary embodiment includes a lower panel 100 and an upperpanel 200 facing each other, and a liquid crystal layer 3 interposedtherebetween. Pixel electrodes 191 are formed on the lower panel 100, acommon electrode 270 is formed on the upper panel 200, and alignmentlayers 11 and 21 are respectively formed on the pixel electrodes 191 andthe common electrode 270. A pixel electrode 191 includes first andsecond subpixel electrodes 191 a and 191 b that are separated from eachother.

The signal lines 121, 131, 171 a, and 171 b are provided on the lowerpanel 100, and include a gate line 121 to transmit a gate signal, a pairof data lines 171 a and 171 b to transmit data voltages, and a storageelectrode line 131, which receives a storage voltage.

Each pixel PX includes a pair of subpixels PXa and PXb (see FIG. 1), andthe subpixels PXa and PXb respectively include a switching element Qaand Qb, a liquid crystal capacitor Clca and Clcb, and a storagecapacitor Csta and Cstb.

Each switching element Qa and Qb is a three terminal element including acontrol terminal, an input terminal, and an output terminal, wherein thecontrol terminal is connected to the gate line 121, the input terminalis connected to the corresponding data line 171 a and 171 b, and theoutput terminal is connected to the corresponding liquid crystalcapacitor Clca and Clcb and storage capacitor Csta and Cstb.

The liquid crystal capacitors Clca and Clcb respectively include thesubpixel electrodes 191 a and 191 b of the lower panel 100 and thecommon electrode 270 of the upper panel 200 as its two terminals. Theliquid crystal layer 3, which is disposed between the subpixelelectrodes 191 a and 191 b and common electrode 270, functions as adielectric material. The subpixel electrodes 191 a and 191 b areconnected to the switching elements Qa and Qb, respectively, and thecommon electrode 270 is formed on the whole surface of the upper panel200 and receives a common voltage Vcom.

The storage capacitors Csta and Cstb, which serve as auxiliaries to theliquid crystal capacitors Clca and Clcb, respectively, are formed wherethe storage electrode line 131 and the pixel electrodes 191 a and 191 boverlap each other via an insulator interposed therebetween. The storagecapacitors Csta and Cstb may be omitted if necessary.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pixel electrode 191 has a rectangular shapethat extends in a longitudinal direction, and the first subpixelelectrode 191 a is enclosed by the second subpixel electrode 191 b.

The first subpixel electrode 191 a has a shape of two identicalrectangles, which extend in the longitudinal direction and arelongitudinally offset from and connected to each other. Thus, if the tworectangles are symmetrically aligned and combined, an approximate squaremay be formed. However, the ratio of the longitudinal length to atransverse length of the first subpixel electrode 191 a may be changed.

The second subpixel electrode 191 b encloses the first sub-pixelelectrode 191 a with a gap 91 having a uniform width therebetween,except that the width is not uniform in an area that notches 97 aredisposed. The second subpixel electrode 191 b includes an upperelectrode part 191 b 1 disposed above the first subpixel electrode 191a, a lower electrode part 191 b 2 disposed therebelow, and connectionpieces 191 b 12 connecting the two electrode parts 191 b 1 and 191 b 2on the right and left sides of the first subpixel electrode 191 a.

The second subpixel electrode 191 b is larger than the first subpixelelectrode 191 a, and a desired ratio of areas thereof may be embodied bycontrolling the ratio of the longitudinal length of the first subpixelelectrode 191 a to that of the second subpixel electrode 191 b. Forexample, when the area of the second subpixel electrode 191 b may beabout two times the area of the first subpixel electrode 191 a, thefirst subpixel electrode 191 a, the upper electrode part 191 b 1, andthe lower electrode part 191 b 2 all may have the same area.

A plurality of notches 97 are formed near the center of the left edgeand the right edge of the first subpixel electrode 191 a, and near thecenter of the upper edge and the lower edge of the second subpixelelectrode 191 b. The notches 97 shown in FIG. 2 have a shape of atriangle, however they may have a shape of a quadrangle, a trapezoid, ora semicircle, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6. Further, it ispossible for the notches 97 to have various shapes such as a curvedline, a slit and a protrusion shape protruding outside. The number andthe size of the notches 97 may be changed.

Notches 98 are formed at the corners of the pixel electrode 191 and mayhave a quadrangular shape.

The liquid crystal layer 3 has negative dielectric anisotropy and isaligned in the longitudinal direction with respect to the panels 100 and200. Polarizers (not shown) are provided on outer surfaces of thesubstrates 110 and 210, and polarization axes of the two polarizers maycross each other and form an angle of about 45 degrees with respect tothe longitudinal and transverse directions.

In the absence of an electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer3, that is, when a difference between voltages of the pixel electrode191 and the common electrode 270 equals zero, liquid crystal molecules31 of the liquid crystal layer 3 may be perpendicular to or slightlyinclined from a perpendicular state with respect to the surface of thealignment layers 11 and 21.

If a potential difference is generated between the pixel electrode 191and the common electrode 270, an electric field that is substantiallyperpendicular to the surface of the display panels 100 and 200 isgenerated in the liquid crystal layer 3. Then, the liquid crystalmolecules 31 of the liquid crystal layer 3 are aligned such that thelong axes thereof are inclined vertically to the direction of theelectric field in response to the electric field, and the polarizationof light that is incident to the liquid crystal layer 3 is changedaccording to the inclination degree of the liquid crystal molecules 31.The change of the polarization appears as a change of lighttransmittance by the polarizers, and thereby images are displayed by theliquid crystal display.

The inclination directions of the liquid crystal molecules 31 aredependent on the characteristics of the alignment layers 11 and 21. Forexample, the alignment layers 11 and 21 may be irradiated by ultravioletrays having different polarization directions or may be obliquelyirradiated so as to determine the inclination directions of the liquidcrystal molecules 31.

A portion of the liquid crystal layer 3 disposed over the pixelelectrode 191 is divided into four regions: left-upper D1, right-upperD2, right-lower D3, and left-lower D4, according to the inclinationdirections of the liquid crystal molecules 31. The boundaries of theseregions D1 through D4 are the transverse central line BT and thelongitudinal central line BL bisecting the pixel electrode 191, and theareas of the regions D1 through D4 are almost the same. The inclinationdirections of the liquid crystal molecules 31 disposed in neighboringregions D1 through D4 in the transverse and longitudinal directions forman angle of about 90 degrees with each other, and the inclinationdirections of the liquid crystal molecules 31 disposed in neighboringregions in the diagonal direction are opposite to each other.

The arrows in FIG. 2 indicate the inclination directions of the liquidcrystal molecules 31. The liquid crystal molecules 31 are inclined inthe right-upper direction in the left-upper region D1, in theright-lower direction in the right-upper region D2, in the left-lowerdirection in the right-lower region D3, in the left-upper direction inthe left-lower region D4.

However, the inclination directions in the four regions D1, D2, D3, andD4 are not limited thereto and may be variously changed. Further, theremay be greater than or fewer than four inclination directions of theliquid crystal molecules 31, if necessary.

Here, the notch 97 is disposed near the central lines BT and BL, and itmay be disposed within 10 μm from the central lines BT and BL. If thenotch 97 is disposed outside of this range, sizes of the regions D1, D2,D3, and D4 differ from each other such that an imbalance of the viewingangle may be generated. The notch 97 accelerates the determination ofthe inclination direction of the liquid crystal molecules 31. In otherwords, if the notch 97 does not exist, boundaries of the four regionsD1, D2, D3, and D4 in which the liquid crystal molecules are inclinedmay not be clear, or the boundary determination may become retarded whenan electric field is applied. However, if the notch 97 exists, itfunctions as a singular point such that the inclination direction of theliquid crystal molecules 31 may be quickly changed with the boundariesof the notch 97. The notch 98 disposed at the corners of the pixelelectrode 191 may help to quickly determine the inclination directionsof the liquid crystal molecules 31 such that the arrangements of liquidcrystal molecules 31 may be quickly stabilized. The size of the notches97 and 98 may be in the range of about 3 μm by 3 μm to 15 μm by 15 μm.However, when the size is greater than or less than these values, thenotches 97 and 98 may not function as a singular point.

The viewing angle of the liquid crystal display is widened by varyingthe inclined directions of the liquid crystal molecules.

On the other hand, if different voltages are applied to the firstsubpixel electrode 191 a and the second subpixel electrode 191 b, themagnitude of the relative voltage of the first subpixel electrode 191 ais larger than the magnitude of the relative voltage of the secondsubpixel electrode 191 b with respect to the common voltage Vcom. Theinclination angles of the liquid crystal molecules 31 may be changedaccording the intensity of the electric field, and thus, the inclinationangles of the liquid crystal molecules 31 that are disposed on the firstsubpixel electrode 191 a and the second subpixel electrode 191 b may bedifferent since the voltages of the two subpixel electrodes 191 a and191 b are different from each other.

Therefore, each of the regions D1, D2, D3, and D4 of the liquid crystallayer 3 are further divided into first subregions D1 a, D2 a, D3 a, andD4 a disposed on the first subpixel electrode 191 a, and secondsubregions D1 b, D2 b, D3 b, and D4 b disposed on the second subpixelelectrode 191 b. As shown in FIG. 3, since the relative voltage of thefirst subpixel electrode 191 a is higher that that of the secondsubpixel electrode 191 b, the liquid crystal molecules 31 in the firstsubregions D1 a, D2 a, D3 a, and D4 a are more inclined than the liquidcrystal molecules 31 of the second subregions D1 b, D2 b, D3 b, and D4b.

Therefore, the luminances of the two subpixels PXa and PXb differ fromeach other, and the sum of the luminances thereof is equal to theluminance of the pixel PX. Accordingly, the voltages applied to the twosubpixel electrodes 191 a and 191 b are determined to be a valuecorresponding to the desired luminance of the pixel PX. That is, thevoltages applied to the two subpixel electrodes 191 a and 191 b areprovided from an image signal for one pixel PX.

Further, if the voltages of the first subpixel electrode 191 a and thesecond subpixel electrode 191 b are appropriately controlled, the imagesshown at the side may be approximate to the image shown at the front,thereby improving the side visibility and increasing the transmittanceof the liquid crystal display.

Next, a liquid crystal display according to another exemplary embodimentof the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 7,FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11.

FIG. 7 is a layout view of a liquid crystal display according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a layout viewof a pixel electrode of the liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 7, FIG.9 is a layout view of a storage electrode line of the liquid crystaldisplay shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a layout view showing an alignmentdirection of liquid crystal molecules over the pixel electrode in theliquid crystal display of FIG. 7, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional viewof the liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 7 taken along the lineXI-XI.

Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10, and FIG. 11, a liquidcrystal display according to the present exemplary embodiment includes alower panel (thin film transistor array panel) 100, an upper panel(common electrode panel) 200, and a liquid crystal layer 3.

First, the thin film transistor array panel 100 will be described.

A gate conductor including a plurality of gate lines 121 and a pluralityof storage electrode lines 131 are formed on an insulation substrate110.

The gate lines 121 extend mainly in a transverse direction, and eachgate line 121 includes a plurality of first and second gate electrodes124 a and 124 b that protrude upward, and a wide end portion 129.

The storage electrode lines 131 extend mainly in the transversedirection and are disposed between two gate lines 121.

Referring to FIG. 9, each storage electrode line 131 includes a storageelectrode 137 with a shape of an open-quadrangle belt, and a connection136 connected to the storage electrode 137. The storage electrode 137includes transverse electrodes 133, 134 a, and 134 b, and longitudinalelectrodes 135, and the transverse electrodes 133, 134 a, and 134 b havea greater width than that of the longitudinal electrode 135. Thetransverse electrodes 133, 134 a, and 134 b include an upper electrode133, a right lower electrode 134 a, and a left lower electrode 134 b.One end of the upper electrode 133 and one end of the right lowerelectrode 134 a are connected by one longitudinal electrode 135, and theother end of the upper electrode 133 and one end of the left lowerelectrode 134 b are connected by the other longitude electrode 135. Theother end of the right lower electrode 134 a and the other end of theleft lower electrode 134 b are separated from each other by apredetermined distance, thereby forming the open-quadrangle. Theconnection 136 is connected substantially to the center of thelongitudinal electrode 135.

A gate insulating layer 140 is formed on the gate conductors 121 and131.

A plurality of first and second semiconductor stripes 151 a and 151 b(in the drawing, only “151 a” appears, and “151 b” is not shown, but“151 b” is used for convenience) are formed on the gate insulating layer140. The first and second semiconductor stripes 151 a and 151 b extendin the longitudinal direction, and include first and second protrusions154 a and 154 b extending toward the first and second gate electrodes124 a and 124 b, respectively.

A plurality of first ohmic contact stripes 161 a and first ohmic contactislands 165 a are formed on the first semiconductor stripes 151 a. Thefirst ohmic contact stripes 161 a include a plurality of firstprotrusions 163 a, and the first protrusion 163 a and the first ohmiccontact island 165 a are disposed as a pair on each first protrusion 154a.

A plurality of second ohmic contact stripes (not shown) and second ohmiccontact islands (not shown) are formed on the second semiconductorstripes 151 b (not shown). The second ohmic contact stripes also includea plurality of protrusions (not shown), and the protrusion and thesecond ohmic contact island are disposed as a pair on each secondprotrusion 154 b.

A plurality of first data lines 171 a are formed on the first ohmiccontact stripes 161 a, and a plurality of first drain electrodes 175 aare formed on the first ohmic contact islands 165 a. A plurality ofsecond data lines 171 b are formed on the second ohmic contact stripes,and a plurality of second drain electrodes 175 b are formed on thesecond ohmic contact islands.

The first and second data lines 171 a and 171 b extend substantially inthe longitudinal direction, thereby crossing the gate lines 121 and theconnections 136 of the storage electrode lines 131. The first and seconddata lines 171 a and 171 b include a plurality of first and secondsource electrodes 173 a and 173 b extending toward the first and secondgate electrodes 124 a and 124 b, and end portions 179 a and 179 b,respectively.

The first and second drain electrodes 175 a and 175 b start from one endenclosed by the curved portions of the first and second sourceelectrodes 173 a and 173 b on the first and second gate electrodes 124 aand 124 b, respectively, and extend upward.

The ohmic contacts 161 a and 165 a only exist between the semiconductorstripes 151 a thereunder, and the first data lines 171 a and the firstdrain electrodes 175 a thereabove, and reduce contact resistance betweenthem. The second ohmic contacts only exist between the underlying secondsemiconductor stripes 151 b and the overlying second data lines 171 band second drain electrodes 175 b, thereby reducing contact resistancetherebetween. The first semiconductor stripes 151 a have substantiallythe same planar shape as the first data lines 171 a, the first drainelectrodes 175 a, and the first ohmic contacts 161 a and 165 a. Thesecond semiconductor stripes 151 b have substantially the same planarshape as the second data lines 171 b, the second drain electrodes 175 b,and the second ohmic contacts. However, the semiconductor stripes 151 aand 151 b have portions that are exposed without being covered by thedata lines 171 a and 171 b and the drain electrodes 175 a and 175 b,such as the portions between the source electrodes 173 a and 173 b andthe drain electrodes 175 a and 175 b.

A passivation layer 180 is formed on the first and second data lines 171a and 171 b, the first and second drain electrodes 175 a and 175 b, andthe exposed semiconductor stripes 151 a and 154 b. The passivation layer180 includes a lower layer 180 p made of an inorganic insulator such assilicon nitride or silicon oxide, and an upper layer 180 q. At least oneof the lower layer 180 p and the upper layer 180 q may be omitted.

The passivation layer 180 has a plurality of contact holes 182 a and 182b exposing the end portions 179 a and 179 b of the data lines 171 a and171 b, respectively, and a plurality of contact holes 185 a and 185 bexposing the wide end portions of the drain electrodes 175 a and 175 b,respectively, and the passivation layer 180 and the gate insulatinglayer 140 have a plurality of contact holes 181 exposing the endportions 129 of the gate lines 121.

A plurality of color filters 230 are formed between the lower layer 180p and the upper layer 180 q.

The color filters 230 have a plurality of through holes 235 a and 235 bthrough which the contact holes 185 a and 185 b pass, respectively, andthe through holes 235 a and 235 b are larger than the contact holes 185a and 185 b. The color filters 230 also include a plurality of openings233 a, 233 b, 234 a, and 234 b disposed on the storage electrodes 137.The openings 233 a and 233 b are disposed on the upper electrode 133,and the openings 234 a and 234 b are respectively disposed on the rightlower electrode 134 a and the left lower electrode 134 b.

A plurality of pixel electrodes 191 and a plurality of contactassistants 81, 82 a, and 82 b are formed on the upper layer 180 q of thepassivation layer 180.

As shown in FIG. 8, the pixel electrodes 191 according to the presentexemplary embodiment have substantially the same shape as the pixelelectrode 191 shown in FIG. 2. The pixel electrode 191 includes a firstsubpixel electrode 191 a and a second subpixel electrode 191 b that areopposite to each other via a gap 91, and notches 97 and 98 are formed onthe edge and corners of the first subpixel electrode 191 a and thesecond subpixel electrode 191 b, respectively.

The gap 91 between the first subpixel electrode 191 a and the secondsubpixel electrode 191 b overlaps the storage electrode 137. The storageelectrode 137 blocks light leakage between the first subpixel electrode191 a and the second subpixel electrode 191 b, and simultaneously blockstexture caused by the light alignment. The texture caused by the lightalignment is generated in regions toward which the liquid crystalmolecules 31 incline with respect to the gap. For example, in FIG. 10,the positions where textures are generated are the left-upper portionand the right-lower portion of the first subpixel electrode 191 a, andthe right-upper portion and the left-lower portion of the secondsubpixel electrode 191 b. Accordingly, if the left-half portion of thefirst subpixel electrode 191 a is moved up and the right-half portionthereof is moved down, the texture generation region of the firstsubpixel electrode 191 a and the texture generation region of the secondsubpixel electrode 191 b are disposed on the same straight line.Accordingly, the storage electrode 137 having a simple shape and a smallarea may effectively cover the texture generation regions.

The pixel electrodes 191 also overlap the storage electrodes 137 to forma storage capacitor. That is, the first subpixel electrode 191 aoverlaps the upper electrode 133 and the right lower electrode 134 athereby forming the storage capacitor Csta, and the second subpixelelectrode 191 b overlaps the upper electrode 133 and the left lowerelectrode 134 b thereby forming the storage capacitor Cstb. Here, thepixel electrode 191 and the storage electrode 137 overlap only via thepassivation layer 180 in the openings 233 a and 234 a of the colorfilters 230, so that the capacitance of the storage capacitor may beincreased

The first and second gate electrodes 124 a and 124 b, the first andsecond protrusions 154 a and 154 b of the first and second semiconductorstripes 151 a and 151 b, respectively, the first and second sourceelectrodes 173 a and 173 b, and the first and second drain electrodes175 a and 175 b form the first and second thin film transistors Qa andQb, respectively. The first and second drain electrodes 175 a and 175 bare connected to the first and second subpixel electrodes 191 a and 191b through the contact holes 185 a and 185 b, respectively.

The contact assistants 81, 82 a, and 82 b are connected to the endportions 129, 179 a, and 179 b of the gate lines 121 and the data lines171 a and 171 b, respectively. The contact assistants 81, 82 a, and 82 bcomplement adhesion of the end portions 129 of the gate lines 121 andthe end portions 179 a and 179 b of the data lines 171 a and 171 b withan external device such as a driver IC, and protect them.

Next, the common electrode panel 200 will be described.

A plurality of light blocking members 220 are formed on an insulatingsubstrate 210, an overcoat 250 is formed on the light blocking members220, and a common electrode 270 is formed on the overcoat 250. However,in FIG. 7, the light blocking member 220 is not shown for convenience ofdistinction between elements.

Alignment layers 11 and 21 are formed on the facing surfaces of the thinfilm transistor array panel 100 and the common electrode panel 200.

According to embodiments of the present invention, the pixel electrodemay include notches such that liquid crystal molecules of each alignmentregion may be quickly stabilized.

Also, textures generated at a region where the alignment directiondetermined by the light alignment and the alignment direction of theliquid crystal molecules by the fringe field at a gap between twosubpixels may be effectively covered such that transmittance may beimproved and the textures may be prevented from appearing as a stain.Thereby, display characteristics may be improved. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that various modifications and variation can bemade in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention coverthe modifications and variations of this invention provided they comewithin the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

1. A liquid crystal panel, comprising: a substrate; and a pixelelectrode disposed on the substrate, the pixel electrode comprising afirst subpixel electrode and a second subpixel electrode separated fromeach other, wherein the second subpixel electrode comprises a firstelectrode part disposed above the first subpixel electrode, and a secondelectrode part disposed below the first subpixel electrode and connectedto the first electrode part, and at least one first notch is arranged onat least one edge of the first subpixel electrode or the second subpixelelectrode.
 2. The liquid crystal panel of claim 1, wherein at least onefirst notch is disposed within 10 μm of a transverse central line or alongitudinal central line substantially bisecting the pixel electrode.3. The liquid crystal panel of claim 2, wherein the at least one firstnotch is disposed on the transverse central line or the longitudinalcentral line.
 4. The liquid crystal panel of claim 1, wherein the atleast one first notch has a size in a range of 3 μm by 3 μm to 15 μm by15 μm.
 5. The liquid crystal panel of claim 1, wherein the secondsubpixel electrode further comprises a first connection piece connectingthe first electrode part and the second electrode part on a right sideof the first subpixel electrode and a second connection piece connectingthe first electrode part and the second electrode part on a left side ofthe first subpixel electrode.
 6. The liquid crystal panel of claim 5,wherein the first subpixel electrode is enclosed by the second subpixelelectrode with a gap between the first subpixel electrode and the secondsubpixel electrode.
 7. The liquid crystal panel of claim 6, wherein aboundary between the first subpixel electrode and the first electrodepart and a boundary between the first subpixel electrode and the secondelectrode part each have a step shape.
 8. The liquid crystal panel ofclaim 7, wherein The step shape of the boundary between the firstsubpixel electrode and the first electrode part and the step shape ofthe boundary between the first subpixel electrode and the secondelectrode part is disposed on a longitudinal central line substantiallybisecting the pixel electrode.
 9. The liquid crystal panel of claim 7,wherein the at least one first notch comprises: a second notch disposedwithin 10 μm of a transverse central line substantially bisecting thepixel electrode, and arranged in a longitudinal edge of the firstsubpixel electrode, and a third notch disposed within 10 μm of alongitudinal central line substantially bisecting the pixel electrode,and arranged in a transverse edge of the second subpixel electrode. 10.The liquid crystal panel of claim 9, wherein a fourth notch is arrangedat a corner of the pixel electrode.
 11. The liquid crystal panel ofclaim 9, further comprising an alignment layer arranged on the pixelelectrode, wherein the alignment layer comprises a plurality ofalignment regions divided by the transverse central line and thelongitudinal central line, the plurality of alignment regions havingdifferent alignment directions from each other.
 12. The liquid crystalpanel of claim 6, further comprising a storage electrode overlapping thegap.
 13. The liquid crystal panel of claim 1, wherein the at least onefirst notch has one shape of a triangle, a quadrangle, a trapezoid, anda semicircle.
 14. A liquid crystal display, comprising: a firstsubstrate; a pixel electrode arranged on the first substrate andcomprising a first subpixel electrode and a second subpixel electrodeseparated from each other; a second substrate facing the firstsubstrate; a common electrode arranged on the second substrate; and aliquid crystal layer interposed between the pixel electrode and thecommon electrode, wherein the second subpixel electrode comprises: afirst electrode part disposed above the first subpixel electrode, asecond electrode part disposed below the first subpixel electrode andconnected to the first electrode part, and a first connection piececonnecting the first electrode part and the second electrode part on theright side of the first subpixel electrode, and a second connectionpiece connecting the first electrode part and the second electrode parton the left side of the first subpixel electrode, and wherein firstnotches are arranged in an upper edge and a lower edge of the secondsubpixel electrode, and in a left edge and a right edge of the firstsubpixel electrode.
 15. The liquid crystal display of claim 14, whereinthe liquid crystal layer comprises four regions having differentalignment directions from each other, the four regions being divided bya boundary near lines connecting the first notches opposing each other.16. The liquid crystal display of claim 15, wherein the first notchesare within 10 μm from the boundary of the regions of the liquid crystallayer.
 17. The liquid crystal display of claim 15, wherein a secondnotch is arranged at a corner of the pixel electrode.
 18. The liquidcrystal display of claim 17, wherein the first notches have a size in arange of 3 μm by 3 μm to 15 μm by 15 μm.
 19. The liquid crystal displayof claim 15, wherein a boundary between the first subpixel electrode andthe first electrode part and a boundary between the first subpixelelectrode and the second electrode part each have a step shape.
 20. Theliquid crystal display of claim 15, further comprising a storageelectrode disposed between the first subpixel electrode and the secondsubpixel electrode.